Following years of pressure from Hackney Greens and renters unions, the council is opening consultation to introduce landlord licensing.
Hackney Labour pledged to bring this in within two years in 2022, and Greens have been pushing to make this happen ever since, with renters now having the chance to make their voices heard.
Currently one in three homes in Hackney is privately rented, with weak regulations on landlords leaving renters feating eviction if they ask for repairs.
Councillor for Dalston and London Assembly Member Zoë Garbett said: “A decent home should be the baseline, not the exception.
“No one should be worried about eviction just for asking for a working boiler or a mould-free home. Landlord licensing is an essential tool to hold landlords to a higher standard.”
Landlord licensing gives the Council power to ensure houses are safe, decent, and properly managed, meaning landlords would be required to meeting minimum standards befogging rating out property, and comply with rules on management and completing repairs.
Landlords would pay a fee to fain a license, and then be required to meet conditions set out.
Currently, mandatory Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing is in place for houses occupied by five or more people living in two or more households, sharing (or lacking) facilities.
Hackney Council’s consultation is seeking views on whether it should bring in: “A borough-wide Additional HMO Licensing Scheme, covering Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), with three or four people from two or more households
A Selective Licensing Scheme for privately rented properties occupied by one or two people, or a single family household, in 17 out of 21 wards”
Hackney Greens back these schemes but are pushing for strong protections, including:
- Set fees high and reinvest the money to increase enforcement and bring empty homes back into use
- No discounts on fees for landlords except where this will save renters money e.g. for high energy ratings which will benefit renters’ standards of living and reducing their energy bills
- No postcode lottery, all wards should be covered - with Haggerston, Hoxton East and Shoreditch, Hoxton West, and Woodberry Down currently excluded - but this should not delay implementation.
- Strong enforcement, with staff taking a zero tolerance approach to breaches, and using improvement notices, fines and prosecutions to there maximum potential.
- Make repairs mandatory and fast, with the council adding clear timeframes for landlords to respond and carry our repairs.
- Ditch the term ‘anti social behaviour’ which fuels division and discrimination.
The Hackney Green Party in encouraging everyone to fill out the consultation, even if you are not currently a renter.
Landlord lobbies are organising to put as many responses in the consultation as possible in the hope the measure will be watered down, and that stronger rights for renters create a more cohesive community.
Hackney Green Party also thanks ACORN, and if you would like to add your voice to their response can do so here, or see their suggest responses here if you’re completing the consultation yourself.
The consultation runs from the 12th of June until the 21st of September 2025, and can be found here.